Palms S Ferns
The diversity of foliage shown bv plants is probably not fully recognized by most people, even experienced gartie ners. Professional botanists are the most likelv to appreciate the range of leaf that nature bis produced, but even their knowledge tends to be restricted to a particular family or group of plants.
The leaves of plants mentioned in the foliage chapter are mostly conventional in shape and function, Describe an object as being leaf-like in shape and colour, and one's mental picture is of a green, fiat piece of plant tissue, longish but pointed at the end. Ferns and palms, however, do not tit into this pattern, any more than bromeliads and cacti do.
Fern leaves are, in general, greatly divided and these divisions in turn are also divided, so that the whole appearance is feathery, or pinnate. They are thus un usually, even uniquely, elegant and graceful, 11 owe ver, even with this class of plant; nature has not been content with uniformity, so that there are also terns with rounded leaflets, long narrow entire leaves, bisected, nr even holly-like leaves.
Ferns which can be grown both indoors and outdoors are returning to popularity. The Victorians were greatly attracted by them and ferneries abounded in the garden. In the 1840s, a Mr Ward invented the W'ardian case with glass sides and tops for growing ferns indoors. Ferns are inhabitants of shady places so you will be able to find a fern to tit most positions in your house, particularly if there is plenty of moisture about.
Ferns bring outdoor freshness to a room Below Nephro/epis exatlats and opposite the much, loved Adiantum, or maidenhair fern
A hanging basket is the ideal way to display the delicate fronds ot an asparagus fern, especially against a light background
Some species you may not recognize as terns at all, others, for instance, StpbroUpis txaifata, have the typical fronds, This is one of the prettiest and easiest to grow of the ferns, and you will be able to find several different forms of it, with doubly pinnate, wavy-edged or crisped leaves.
Pier is erettea, related to the common bracken, is another of these feathery forms, and in its cultivar 'Albo-lineata' the veins are outlined in white. The hart's-tongue is one of the British native ferns, often seen growing on shaded roadside banks and at the sides ot streams. But its fronds are complete and leaf-like, though still elegant as they unturl in spring. Unlike dowering plants, fern leaves unroll from the base upwards and lengthen as they do so.
The leaves of Asparagus setaceus (syn. A. plumosns) and A. den si porta are quite different, being reduced to a needle-like fineness. The stag's-horn fern, Piatycerium bi fund turn, could not provide a greater contrast in form of leaf, and the holly fern, Cyrtomium faicatum, is barely recognizable as a fem, with it s shiny and prickly-pointed leaflets. The maidenhair fern, \diantum captttus-ventris, must be everybody's favourite fern, with its rounded, fragile leaflets and fronds and, again, it is difficult to believe that it is a member of the same group as the ones already mentioned.
As a group, ferns have common cultural needs which distinguish them from other houseplants. for instance, they must have shade. In their native regions, they grow in woods, jungles and forests, always beneath the ranopv of foliage and branches supplied by trees, or in the shelter of rocks and banks, and always where there is moisture in the air and in the soil. So keep your ferns away from the light, whatever you do. They will grow in the most unlikely corners because, however dark, there is bound to be sufficient light for photosynthesis to go on in a fern.
But you must make sure the atmosphere is always moist, and for some species of fem, for instance, the maidenhair, it has to he very moist. More of these die every year through lack of humidity than an v other cultural factor. Bathrooms, especially if heated, are marvellous places for ferns; if vou have such a bathroom the stag's-horns and the bird's-nests could before long make it very difficult to get at the toothbrush.
Moisture at the roots is important, as with am plant, but perhaps slightly more is needed for the ferns. Use acid compost ferns will not grow in an alkaline one and use soft water whenever the plants need a drink.
A good many of the ferns which can be grown in the home like to be kept cool, and are virtually, if not completely, hardy, so there should be no difficulty over temperature with them. Others which originate from tropical forests, and which used to be grown in 'stove houses', need a good deal of warmth and Freedom from draughts. Central heating will only be suitable if you can ensure a lot of humidity at all times -the easiest and most effective way to do this is to obtain the humidifiers which are supplied for use with radiators, otherwise supply it by the methods suggested on pages iS -19.
Ferns have two special pests which can cause a good deal ot trouble. One is scale insect (see page 26), but do not use the conventional insecticides as they damage terns; either pick or scrape of! the scales or brush gently with methylated spirits.
The other pest is eel worm, which is extremeiv difficult to deal with. They infest the crown and leaves of the plant, so that the leaves are discoloured and the whole plant is stunted and sick looking. Hot-treatment may deal with a mild infestation, but needs to he done precisely, otherwise it is ineffective. Wash all the compost off the fern, put the whole plant in hot water 10-^2 C it22 12; F)- and keep it in there, at exactly that temperature, neither higher nor low er, for 1 minutes. (Remember that putting the plant in the water will lower its temperature to start with and it must be brought back up to the right one before starting to time the i minutes.) Then remove and drain, and pot in fresh compost and a different pot. Badly infested plants should be destroyed and the compost discarded.
The palm family, Palmae, is one of the most economically useful, containing the date palm, sago palm, rattan palm, coconut palm and ratha palm. Palms supply-fibre for ropes, wax, oil, betel nuts, vegetable ivory, food of various kinds, material for building, thatching and basket making, and alcoholic drinks. Palms mav have graceful, feathery leaves, like some ferns, or leaves like pleated fans. The palm of the 'palm conn orchestra' was generally a species of Houra (Kentia), one of the tallest and most graceful under container conditions, and not difficult to grow. Palms were once ver\ fashionable, and it looks as though it will not be long before thev are popular again.
Palms are rather more amenable than ferns in their environmental needs. Growing slowly under the restricted root conditions provided by containers, they are not fussy about humidity, light or acid soil. Certainly humidity is advisable -if the leaflet tips start to brown, then the atmosphere is dry and must be dealt with accordingly but palm leaves are much tougher than ferns, almost leathery, which is not surprising when you remember that manv grow on tropical coasts regularly lashed by hurricanes and monsoons. They have a thick cuticle and a very waxy covering, both of which help to prevent moisture loss.
Though most grow in brilliantly sunny conditions -particularly the date palm. Phoenix dactyiifera, and the coconut, Cocoa nucijtra they will be almost as happv in a good light or slight shade.
Palms cannot tolerate cold and you should trv to pro vide a temperature of at least 10 C (10 F) in winter for the majority, and as high as possible in the summer.
Compost can have some extra peat added to it, and if you can get them, the specially deep palm pots, which resemble ordinary pots but are very much longer than they are wide, will give the best results for the long roots.
Palms can, in time, grow into really large plants, i.s 1.8 m (f-6 ft) tall and, if you look after them well, will be decorative inhabitants of your home for manv years. The coconut palm can grow to ic m (100 ft) in its desert island, so its size in a container will be in proportion, but don't panic, there are little ones, such as the Chusan palm, Trochlear pus for twirl, or the parlour palm, Chamae-dorea eUgans, which will even flower and set viable seed.
Decorative hanging baskets are appropriate to kitchen, dining rooms looking good bill leaving work surfaces clear
Decorative hanging baskets are appropriate to kitchen, dining rooms looking good bill leaving work surfaces clear
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